What happens when motherhood asks you to hold unimaginable loss and incredible hope at the same time?

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host AshleyO’Neil is joined by Natalie Estelle, a mother whose journey through motherhood has been anything but ordinary.

In just two years, Natalie gave birth to three children. Herfirst was stillborn. Her second was a micropreemie, born weighing less than two pounds and spending time in the NICU. And her third was born full-term.

Three babies. Three very different journeys. A story filledwith grief, hope, resilience, and strength.

Natalie shares openly about navigating loss and the NICU,finding her way through the complexities of motherhood, and the moments that ultimately shaped her desire to lead, guide, advocate for, and support other NICU families.

Natalie’s story is a beautiful reminder that even afterunimaginable loss, hope can still find its way in. You don’t want to miss this conversation.

Interested in connecting with Natalie?

Website: www.mrsnatalieestelle.com

Instagram: nicumomselfcareco

Book: 52 Self-Care Tips for NICU Moms from a NICU Mom

Hardcover

Ebook

Interested in learning more about the NICU to HomeConference?

Website: NICU to Home Conference byBridging the Birthing Gap™

The Ask a NICU Mama Podcast is brought to you by It’s a NICU World!

🌍 About It’s a NICU World

It’s a NICU World is a community dedicated to supportingfamilies navigating life in and beyond the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. From journals and advocacy to the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, we’re here to bring real stories, hard truths, and hope to every NICU and medical family.

📘 Learn more: ⁠www.itsanicuworld.com⁠

📸Follow us on Instagram: ⁠@itsanicuworld⁠ and @askanicumamapodcast2024

Check out our books: It’s a NICU World & It’s a NICUWorld: Your Guide During your Babies NICU Stay

🎙️Listen to more episodes: On your favorite podcast platform

📣 Support the Show:

• Share this episode with another NICU parent or healthcare provider
• Follow the show on Instagram: ⁠@askanicumamapodcast2024⁠
• Leave a review

Interested in sponsoring an episode? Email ashleyoneil@itsanicuworld.com

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host Ashley O’Neil is joined by Bittany Bowman, who shares the emotional and often overwhelming experience of navigating the NICU with a baby who was born full-term, reminding us that the NICU journey doesn’t always look the way we expect. From pregnancy, IVF, and genetic testing to Ethan’s unexpected medical challenges and eventual diagnosis with the rare genetic disorder ZFX, Brittany takes us through the highs, lows, questions, and uncertainties that shaped her journey.

We talk about what it means to advocate for your child when you don’t have all the answers, learning to trust your instincts, communicating with medical providers, and finding the strength to keep going when the path ahead feels uncertain. You do not want to miss this episode!

Interested in connecting with Brittney?

Instagram: _britttlee93

Interested in learning more about the NICU to Home Conference?

Website: NICU to Home Conference byBridging the Birthing Gap™

Instagram: momandme_md

The Ask a NICU Mama Podcast is brought to you by It’s a NICU World!

🌍 About It’s a NICU World

It’s a NICU World is a community dedicated to supporting families navigating life in and beyond the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. From journals and advocacy to the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, we’re here to bring real stories, hard truths, and hope to every NICU and medical family.

📘 Learn more: ⁠www.itsanicuworld.com⁠

📸Follow us on Instagram: ⁠@itsanicuworld⁠and @askanicumamapodcast2024

Check out our books: It’s a NICU World& It’s a NICU World: Your Guide During your Babies NICU Stay

🎙️Listen to more episodes: On your favorite podcast platform

📣 Support the Show:

• Share this episode with another NICU parent or healthcare provider
• Follow the show on Instagram: ⁠@askanicumamapodcast2024⁠
• Leave a review

Interested in sponsoring an episode? Email ashleyoneil@itsanicuworld.com

Interestedin learning more about the NICU to Home Conference?The Aska NICU Mama Podcast is brought to you by It’s a NICU World!

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host AshleyO’Neil is joined by Allison Moise, who shares her deeply personal journey through her son’s birth, his diagnosis of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), and the unexpected path that led her to become a passionate advocate for HIE families.

She opens up about navigating the NICU, how she copes withhaving to make complex medical decisions and facing the emotional and psychological challenges that can come with having a medically fragile child. Allison also highlights the importance of finding community, connecting withother families who truly understand and discovering hope even in the most difficult seasons.

Through her advocacy and awareness efforts, Allison ishelping amplify the voices of HIE families and improve support for parents navigating neonatal care. You do not want to miss this episode!

Interested in connecting with Allison?

Instagram: amoise1219

Interested in learning more about Hope for HIE?

Website: Hope for HIE - Hypoxic IschemicEncephalopathy

Instagram: hopeforhie

The Ask a NICU Mama Podcast is brought to you by It’s aNICU World!

🌍 About It’s a NICU World

It’s a NICU World is a community dedicated tosupporting families navigating life in and beyond the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. From journals and advocacy to the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, we’re here to bring real stories, hard truths, and hope to every NICU and medical family.

📘 Learn more: ⁠www.itsanicuworld.com⁠

📸Follow us on Instagram: ⁠@itsanicuworld⁠and @askanicumamapodcast2024

Check out our books: It’s a NICU World& It’s a NICU World: Your Guide During your Babies NICU Stay

🎙️Listen to more episodes: On your favorite podcast platform

• 📣 Support the Show: Share this episode with another NICU parent orhealthcare provider
• Follow the show on Instagram: ⁠@askanicumamapodcast2024⁠
• Leave a review

Interested in sponsoring an episode? Email ashleyoneil@itsanicuworld.com

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host AshleyO’Neil is joined by Casandra Bradley, a mother of four, including two children with complex medical needs. Alongside navigating the challenges of caring for her children, Cassie has also faced her own medical journey, giving her a unique perspective on the importance of advocacy, resilience, and finding support.

Through her experiences as being a medical mama, Cassielearned the hard way that being your child’s best advocate is key. When she saw a need for safer, more practical ways to manage medical lines, she turned her experience into action by creating innovative line-management accessories designed with medical families in mind.

In this episode, Cassie shares the realities of raising medically complex children, the lessons she has learned along the way, and why community, self-care, and advocacy are so important for families navigating the medical world. You do not want to miss this episode!

Interested in connecting with Casandra and learning more about her products?

Name of brand: Cocoon (cocoon by tuckline)

Shopify: iluvcocoon.com

All socials @iluvcocoon (TIKTOK, IG, FB)

Etsy: https://iluvcocoon.etsy.com

Email: cassie@tucklinemedical.com

Pre-orders available in August 2026! Shipments startSeptember 1st 2026!

The Ask a NICU Mama Podcast is brought to you by It’s aNICU World!

🌍 About It’s a NICU World

It’s a NICU World is a community dedicated tosupporting families navigating life in and beyond the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. From journals and advocacy to the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, we’re here to bring real stories, hard truths, and hope to every NICU andmedical family.

📘 Learn more: ⁠www.itsanicuworld.com⁠📸Follow us on Instagram: ⁠@itsanicuworld⁠and @askanicumamapodcast2024

Check out our books: It’s a NICU World& It’s a NICU World: Your Guide During your Babies NICU Stay

🎙️Listen to more episodes: On your favorite podcast platform

📣 Support the Show:

• Share this episode with another NICU parent orhealthcare provider
• Follow the show on Instagram: ⁠@askanicumamapodcast2024⁠
• Leave a review
• Interested in sponsoring an episode? Email ashleyoneil@itsanicuworld.com

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host Ashley O’Neil is joined by Diamond Palmer who shares her heartfelt journey through her son's premature birth, a remarkable 354-day NICU stay across two hospitals, and the resilience it took to navigate complex medical challenges. From unexpected setbacks to celebrating milestones, she opens up about the emotional highs and lows of life as a NICU parent. Throughout our conversation, Diamond reflects on the importance taking on each day as it comes, finding your tribe, and advocating for her son. Her family’s story is a powerful reminder that even in the most difficult seasons, hope, love, being intentional and resilience can carry families forward. You do not want to miss this episode!

Interested in connecting with Diamond?

Instagram: diamondlauren270

The Ask a NICU Mama Podcast is brought to you by It’s a NICU World!

🌍 About It’s a NICU World

It’s a NICU World is a community dedicated to supporting families navigating life in and beyond the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. From journals and advocacy to the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, we’re here to bring real stories, hard truths, and hope to every NICU and medical family.

📘 Learn more: ⁠www.itsanicuworld.com⁠

📸Follow us on Instagram: ⁠@itsanicuworld⁠and @askanicumamapodcast2024

Check out our books: It’s a NICU World& It’s a NICU World: Your Guide During your Babies NICU Stay

🎙️Listen to more episodes: On your favorite podcast platform

📣 Support the Show:

• Share this episode with another NICU parent orhealthcare provider

• Follow the show on Instagram: ⁠@askanicumamapodcast2024⁠
• Leave a review

Interested in sponsoring an episode? Email ashleyoneil@itsanicuworld.com

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host AshleyO’Neil is joined by Lauren Spruill as she shares her powerful journey through a high-risk pregnancy complicated by fibroids, the unexpected delivery of her daughter at just 25 weeks gestation, and the emotional and medical challenges of a lengthy NICU stay. Lauren opens up about the uncertainty, fear, and resilience that shaped her experience, as well as what life has looked like while raising a child with complex medical needs.

Through her story, Lauren offers encouragement to NICUfamilies who may be walking a similar path, reminding listeners that even in the most difficult moments, hope, faith, and the support of a caring community can make all the difference. You do not want to miss this episode!

Interested in connecting with Lauren?

Instagram: laurendenisetoday

Book: Born for This

The Ask a NICU Mama Podcast is brought to you by It’s aNICU World!

🌍 About It’s a NICU World

It’s a NICU World is a community dedicated tosupporting families navigating life in and beyond the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. From journals and advocacy to the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, we’re here to bring real stories, hard truths, and hope to every NICU andmedical family.

📘 Learn more: ⁠www.itsanicuworld.com⁠

📸Follow us on Instagram: ⁠@itsanicuworld⁠and @askanicumamapodcast2024

Check out our books: It’s a NICU World& It’s a NICU World: Your Guide During your Babies NICU Stay

🎙️Listen to more episodes: On your favorite podcast platform

📣 Support the Show:

• Share this episode with another NICU parent or healthcare provider
• Follow the show on Instagram: ⁠@askanicumamapodcast2024⁠
• Leave a review Interested in sponsoring an episode? Email ashleyoneil@itsanicuworld.com

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host AshleyO’Neil is joined by Victoria Gokool-John, who shares her powerful journey through the unexpected reality of premature birth, a lengthy NICU stay, and the emotional road that followed. She opens up about the fear, uncertainty, andtrauma that so many NICU families experience—and how, over time, she began to rebuild her identity beyond the NICU.

In this heartfelt conversation, Victoria reflects on theimportance of finding support, learning to advocate for your child, and discovering resilience even in life's most difficult moments. She also shares practical insights for both families navigating the NICU and the healthcare professionals who care for them.

If you're a NICU parent, healthcare provider, or someonesupporting a family through this journey, this episode is a reminder that healing doesn't happen overnight—but hope is always possible.

Interested in connecting with Victoria?

Instagram: victoria.crystabell

Book: Become Her, Become Him, Become You

Tiktok: thehighprofile

The Ask a NICU Mama Podcast is brought to you by It’s aNICU World!

🌍 About It’s a NICU World

It’s a NICU World is a community dedicated tosupporting families navigating life in and beyond the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. From journals and advocacy to the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, we’re here to bring real stories, hard truths, and hope to every NICU andmedical family.

📘 Learn more: ⁠www.itsanicuworld.com⁠

📸Follow us on Instagram: ⁠@itsanicuworld⁠and @askanicumamapodcast2024

Check out our books: It’s a NICU World& It’s a NICU World: Your Guide During your Babies NICU Stay

🎙️Listen to more episodes: On your favorite podcast platform

📣 Support the Show:

• Share this episode with another NICU parent or healthcare provider
• Follow the show on Instagram: ⁠@askanicumamapodcast2024⁠
• Leave a review

• Interested in sponsoring an episode? Email ashleyoneil@itsanicuworld.com

In this episode of the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, host AshleyO’Neil is joined by Sam Kozuch, a NICU mama turned NICU doula, whose journey is one of resilience, advocacy, and hope.

Sam shares her experience navigating a high-risk pregnancy,a 152-day NICU stay, and life after discharge as she raises her daughter with complex medical needs. She opens up about the emotional highs and lows of the NICU, the challenges of transitioning home, the gaps in care that so manyfamilies face, and the strength it takes to advocate for your child every step of the way.

Most importantly, Sam reminds us of the power of communityand how her own NICU journey inspired her to become a NICU doula, supporting other families during one of the most difficult seasons of their lives.

Whether you're currently in the NICU, navigating life afterdischarge, or supporting someone who is, this conversation is filled with honesty, encouragement, and hope. You donot want to miss this episode!

Interested in connecting with Sam?

Instagram: samkozymama

Business IG: underthesameskydoula

The Ask a NICU Mama Podcast is brought to you by It’s aNICU World!

🌍 About It’s a NICU World

It’s a NICU World is a community dedicated tosupporting families navigating life in and beyond the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. From journals and advocacy to the Ask a NICU Mama Podcast, we’re here to bring real stories, hard truths, and hope to every NICU andmedical family.

📘 Learn more: ⁠www.itsanicuworld.com⁠📸Follow us on Instagram: ⁠@itsanicuworld⁠and @askanicumamapodcast2024

Check out our books: It’s a NICU World& It’s a NICU World: Your Guide During your Babies NICU Stay

🎙️Listen to more episodes: On your favorite podcast platform

• 📣 Ways to Support the Show: Share this episode with another NICU parent orhealthcare provider
• Follow the show on Instagram: ⁠@askanicumamapodcast2024⁠
• Leave a review

Interested in sponsoring an episode? Email ashleyoneil@itsanicuworld.com